Hot Docs 2014 Winners Announced: ‘Out of Mind, Out of Sight’ Wins Best Canadian Feature Documentary

Hot Docs 2014 Winners Announced: 'Out of Mind, Out of Sight' Wins Best Canadian Feature Documentary

John Kastner’s “Out of Mind, Out of Sight” won the award for Best Canadian Feature Documentary at this year’s Hot Docs, which wrapped its 21st annual edition yesterday after a week of screening 197 documentaries from all over the world.

Last night, at the festival’s awards reception, 13 awards and $66,000 in cash and prizes were presented to filmmakers, including Kastner.

“Out of Mind, Out of Sight” is the director’s follow-up to “NCR: Not Criminally Responsible,” which screened at Hot Docs last year. In both films, Kastner filmed gained rare access to the Brokville Mental Health Centre in Ontario, Canada.

In a jury statement, the documentary was praised “for finding deep empathy and humanity in one of the most physically and emotionally harrowing environments imaginable, and for bringing insight to the emotional complexity surrounding the issue of mental illness.”

Here’s the full list of this year’s winners (descriptions courtesy of Hot Docs):

Best Canadian Feature Documentary AwardOUT OF MIND, OUT OF SIGHT (D: John Kastner; P: John Kastner, Deborah Parks, Silva Basmajian; Canada)Sponsored by the Documentary Organization of Canada, the award includes a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of Hot Docs.

Special Jury Prize – Canadian Feature DocumentaryBEFORE THE LAST CURTAIN FALLS (D: Thomas Wallner; P: Kerstin Meyer-Beetz; Belgium, Canada, Germany)Sponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada and DGC Ontario, the award includes a $5000 cash prize courtesy of Hot Docs.

Best Mid-Length Documentary AwardKINGS OF THE WIND & ELECTRIC QUEENS (D: Cédric Dupire, Gaspard Kuentz; P: Jérome Aglibert; France)Sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts, the award includes a $3000 cash prize courtesy of Hot Docs.

Lindalee Tracey AwardThis award honouring an emerging Canadian filmmaker with a passionate point of view, a strong sense of social justice and a sense of humour, was presented to two recipients: Madeleine Grant and Matt Johnson. Each recipient received a $5000 cash prize courtesy of the Lindalee Tracey Fund, $5000 in post-production services from Technicolor, and a beautiful hand-blown glass sculpture by Andrew Kuntz, specially commissioned to honour Lindalee.